Keeping Our Kids Safe On-line

While the advent of the internet has had a profound effect on the way we work, live and learn – it has also completely changed the way in which our children interact with each other and the world in general. Today, our homes are filled with computers, smart phones and IPads and children have more access than ever to the internet and the world at large. Left unattended and uninformed, children are left vulnerable to exploitation and harm by strangers looking to exploit them through the use of on-line services.

I recently attended a parent workshop at my child’s school about Internet Safety. This seminar was presented by a mother who happens to be a Pennsylvania Attorney General. I am glad I attended this workshop, as I learned so much about the dangers that lie on the web and what steps we need to take in order to protect our children. It was a powerful, scary, eye opening and important lesson.

Here are a some rules/tips I wanted to share that can help keep your kids safe on-line!

Tell Your Childern…

To share all passwords with their parents – never give them to friends.

To never give out personal information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number to anyone.

Not to meet someone or have them visit without your parent’s permission.

To tell their parents if they feel uncomfortable with anything they read on the internet.

To never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on-line

To never upload pictures of themselves onto the Internet to share with people they don’t know

To never download pictures from an unknown source.

Not to believe everything they read or are told on-line.

As parent’s we must constantly monitor our children’s internet activity. There are many programs that can provide you with a list of the sites that your child has visited. Try http://www.netnanny.com/. Another great resource for concerned parents is http://www.webwisekids.org/.

I hope you found this information helpful in your continued efforts to keep your children safe from internet harm.

Yolanda is the mom of 3 young children in the Delaware Valley. She is the Founder of Team Tutor.